Oakland Raiders: All-Decade Team for the 2010s
By Nico Di Fede
Head Coach: Jack Del Rio
Jack Del Rio spent three seasons as the head coach of the Oakland Raiders — the team the Hayward native grew up a fan of.
Del Rio was the second coach hired by Mark Davis and the fan opinion on his hiring was 50/50, with many wanting a young up-and-coming offensive coach to help out Derek Carr, and others liking the experience and decent success he had with Jacksonville.
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In 2015 it was clear the team was heavily improved after a torturous three years of Dennis Allen coached squads.
They went 7-9 following a three-win season, seemed to have had their franchise quarterback, and just had a spectacular 2014 draft where they also acquired building blocks in Khalil Mack and Gabe Jackson.
Del Rio coached the Raiders to their first winning season in 13 years going 12-4 and making the playoffs. We all know how badly that season ended with Derek Carr getting injured and not being able to play in the Wild Card game, but the future still looked bright.
Well, that brightness quickly got dark during the 2017 season, as the Raiders looked like a shell of the team they were the year prior, playing straight-up flat and uninspiring football.
This was largely due to the fact that Bill Musgrave, the Raiders offensive coordinator in 2016, got fired despite calling one of the most high-powered offenses in the league.
This decision may very well have gotten him fired, as the 6-10 end to the season disappointed Mark Davis enough to let him go despite giving the team the best season they had in years.
Next. Golden State Warriors: All-Decade Team for the 2010’s. dark
While his time in Oakland may not have ended on a positive note, I’ll always appreciate the 2016 season he gave us, as it is the only winning season I or any Raiders fan around my age was old enough to remember and experience.